Crystal Palace Opinion: Eagles should sign Jonjoe Kenny as a replacement for Wan-Bissaka

According to the Daily Mail, Crystal Palace are eyeing a double raid on Everton for out of favour stars Jonjoe Kenny and James McCarthy in the summer, with reports claiming that the Toffees are likely to offload several of their fringe players at the end of the season.

Palace’s interest in Kenny doesn’t come as much of a surprise to the fans in south London, with the Eagles getting ready to brace themselves for a £35 million offer from Man United for first-choice right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka. (h/t Daily Mail)

Kenny made his Premier League bow in the 2015-16 campaign as a late substitute in the final game of the season against Norwich City. However, the young and talented right-back has found regular minutes difficult to come by at Goodison Park due to the presence of Seamus Coleman in the ranks.

The 22-year-old has made only 39 appearances for the Toffees in all competitions so far, while also spending time on loan at Wigan Athletic and Oxford United in his earlier days at the club.

The youngster enjoyed considerable involvement under Ronald Koeman last season and started 17 games in the Premier League, catching the eye with a string of impressive performances, as Everton finished 8th in the standings. This time, however, the Englishman hasn’t had too many regular minutes to express himself, making a total of 14 appearances for the club in all competitions.

A regular for England at all youth levels from U-16 to U-21, Kenny has amassed a total of 54 caps for the Three Lions so far, though he is yet to make his senior international bow.

In all honesty, his lack of playing time at Everton has little to do with his development because he has shown what a fine young player he is whenever he has been presented with an opportunity. The fact of the matter is that the presence of a stalwart like Coleman has not allowed Kenny to get enough exposure at the highest level.

To put things into perspective, Crystal Palace look set to lose the services of Aaron Wan-Bissaka this summer, with so many top clubs circling like sharks to snap up the promising youngster, who has been an ever-present at the back for the Eagles this season. Hence, bringing in Kenny, who is also a player in the same mould at 22, wouldn’t be a bad idea for Roy Hodgson.

Wan-Bissaka has been quite remarkable on the right-hand side of the backline for Palace, showcasing his ability to contribute equally to both attack and defence. In fact, he has outperformed more established right-backs like Kieran Trippier, Seamus Coleman, Ashley Young and Hector Bellerin.

Well, Jonjoe Kenny has also shown strong signs of promise at Everton and Palace should go all out in their pursuit of the 22-year-old if they lose Wan-Bissaka. The Eagles have the likes of Martin Kelly and Joel Ward, both of whom can play at that position, but the lack of a specialist right-back can come back to haunt them next season.

Good in the air, quick across the ground and strong on the tackle, Kenny likes to patrol up and down the pitch constantly and tends to drive forward to support the attack.

He is a decent reader of the game and often manages to cut out attacks with crucial tackles and interceptions. To add to that, he is more than capable of causing problems to the opposition with his pace and flair, while also creating chances with his wonderful crossing ability.

To Read More Crystal Palace News, Click Here:- Latest Crystal Palace News

Palace have enjoyed another decent run in the Premier League this season but they would need to ensure that they have all their bases covered heading into the upcoming campaign. With that being said, they should definitely have Jonjoe Kenny at the top of their wishlist should they lose Wan-Bissaka in the summer.